


Love is not only in Poetry

by lunarexotic



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-20 13:34:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30005679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarexotic/pseuds/lunarexotic
Summary: Mark moves to Korea from Canada with his dad to live with his grandparents. He attends the local high school, where he befriends Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung.He also meets the notorious rich boy with problems, Haechan, and his two minions, Jeno and Jaemin.Haechan and Mark are paired together for a poetry project in their class.Together, they learn that love does not only exist in poems on sheets of paper.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Kudos: 21





	1. Falling Leaves, Falling Hard

**Author's Note:**

> This is rated explicit as there will be some smut at the end. I will be uploading when I can. I have this story planned out, I just need to write it.

The wind swayed the trees as the car drove down the main road of a small town. The leaves were already turning orange, red, and yellow, with some falling and collecting on the ground. Mark felt the cool breeze as it blew through his short brown hair, looking out the window of the car. The boy was moving from Canada, the only home he had ever known, to South Korea with his dad. 

A couple months ago, his dad had lost his business job, resulting in them moving to Korea so that they could live with Mark’s grandparents. Mark’s mom had died when he was young, and it was only the two of them. However, without a job, Mark’s dad could not pay the bills, resulting in them moving here to start new. Yesterday, Mark waved goodbye to his friends, promising to text and call them when he could. He understood why they were leaving, and he told his dad he would help in any way he could. Mark’s dad and smiled sadly and nodded, wrapping the boy in a hug before helping him finish packing his clothes.

Starting tomorrow, Mark would be a third year in high school at the local high school. He heard this school is known for their various clubs and academic programs, which made him excited in some aspect. He just dreaded that everything was going to be in Korean, a language he had immense difficulty with.

Since he was born in Canada, his family mostly only spoke English with only some Korean. Therefore, he did not speak the language well, and the school was going to enroll him in some additional classes to help. Overall, this move was challenging for Mark in many ways. He just hoped he could survive.

While Mark was lost in his thoughts, the car stopped in front of an older house. Mark looked at the faded blue house with ivory shudders. His dad said this is where he grew up, and he could recognize it from some photos his dad has shown him. Unbuckling his belt, Mark started to gather his things to go in. Mark was excited to his grandparents. He has not seen them since his seventh birthday, when they came to visit them in Canada.

His grandmother met them at the car with arms wide open for hugs.

“There are my handsome men! I just finished cooking dinner! Come in and eat before we unload everything,” ushered the lady as she pulled them inside.

Dinner was lively, the liveliest one Mark remembered in quite some time. His grandparents were enthusiastic to see them again. They talked and laughed. Mark heard many stories about his dad growing up from his grandmother. The grandparents were thrilled to have this son and grandson home. However, Mark’s dad kept insisting it was temporary.

“Thank you again for housing us for a bit. I promise it will only be for a couple months. Once I find a job, we can move into our own place,” stated Mark’s dad as they sat around their finished dinner.

“Nonsense! It is fine! With you both in Canada, it has been hard to see you. Now, we can catch up, and we can get to know Mark more. Mark, how have you been? You have gotten so tall,” cooed Mark’s grandmother as she happily looked at her grandson.

“I have been good. Thank you,” replied Mark politely as he pushed his glasses onto the bridge of his nose.

“Are you excited to start school tomorrow? I got your schedule and books in your room. I picked up everything earlier today. You are to meet with the principle in the morning to get situated,” told his grandmother with excitement, her eyes crinkling at the sides.

“Thank you! Ya, I am excited. It is going to different,” answered Mark with an awkward chuckle. His grandparents and dad nodded. After all, Canada is not Korea.

After dinner, Mark and his dad brought their stuff in, bidding everyone goodnight before going to their rooms. Mark has the guest bedroom downstairs while his dad took the one upstairs. Mark unpacked before getting ready for bed.

That night Mark lied in bed, thinking of all the exciting adventures he was going to have this year. He wanted to join clubs, like the science club and maybe the math club. He wanted to make so many friends, having lunch with them every day. He wanted this to be the best possible year ever. Mark went to sleep with dreams of friends and fun.

The next morning, his grandmother woke him for school. He quickly showered, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed clothes. He chose his favorite plaid shirt with blue jeans and dark hoodie. His grandmother dropped him off at the gate of the school with a kiss on his cheek and a good luck.

Clutching his backpack, Mark walked through the busy halls, weaving his way to the principal’s office. After wandering around for ten minutes, he finally found it. The principle was nice and offered to help if there was anything he needed to better adjust. In his broken Korean, he thanked her and said he would be fine. As he was leaving the office, the principal said someone would be showing him around.

“Ah, Renjun! Right on time! Mark, this is Renjun,” introduced the principal as a small, thin boy with long dark hair came into the office. Renjun was dressed very well, with khakis and a button up. His dark locks were styled to the side. His dark eyes were kind, like hot chocolate after he played in the snow too long. 

“Hi, I am Mark,” stated Mark with a slight wave. Renjun smiled brightly and greeted him warmly.

“Renjun will be in most of your classes, and he will help show you around. Have fun boys!”

“Thanks, Ms. Kwon! Come with me. I will show you where things are, like where to eat lunch and the classrooms,” beckoned Renjun as he opened the door for Mark to follow. The boy showed him where his locker is, the gym, the classrooms, and the cafeteria. The two chatted about different things as they walked around.

“I have a brother named Chenle and a best friend named Jisung. You can join us for lunch,” offered Renjun as the boys walk towards their first class. The hallways were crowded. People were hurrying on their way to class.

As they turned a corner, almost to their classroom, Mark noticed a shocking scene. A small boy was being held against a locker with his cheek pressed against the metal. A brunette boy had one hand clutching the younger boy’s shirt and the other hand smashing his face into the metal as he yelled words at him. Some people stared while other quickly rushed past. Mark did not know what to do, but thankfully Renjun was there.

“Oh no. Don’t look. Just keep walking. We will get a teacher,” whispered Renjun as he wrapped a hand around Mark’s wrist, tugging him past the scene. The Chinese boy found the nearest teacher and told him to hurry. The teacher pulled the brunette away from the sobbing boy, who fell to the ground like a crumpled piece of paper. Renjun helped the boy up, pulling him down the hall to the nurse, while the other boy was being dragged towards the principal. Mark stood there in disbelief at everything that had happened. He made note to ask Renjun about it later. Based on how he had acted, Mark could guess this was a common occurrence.

Hesitantly, Mark went to his classes, following the map and schedule he had been given by Renjun. Said boy had not appeared after this morning’s incident. Mark had wanted to sit with them at lunch, but with the other boy missing, he did not know where to go. Thankfully, Renjun was waiting for Mark outside his classroom when the lunch bell rang.

“Want to join us for lunch,” offered Renjun with a smile. Mark nodded and thanked him. He followed the other boy down the hall and to the cafeteria. Mark met Chenle and Jisung. They were nice. Chenle and Renjun were brothers, moved here from China two years ago. They met Jisung, who was in a year below them but was their neighbor. They were all nice and helped him with the Korean words.

“Learning a new language suddenly is hard. We both know some English, so we can try to help you. You are getting lessons with Mr. Choi, right? He’s really great! He helped us a lot. If you need any help or want to practice, I am sure we wouldn’t mind helping you,” stated Renjun as he took a bite of his fried rice. The other two boys nodded along.

“Mr. Choi gives lots of practice and examples. You will be speaking the language in no time,” encouraged Chenle and beside him Jisung nodded. 

The group told jokes and stories. Mark felt welcomed and included in their little circle. He was happy to be making friends. However, he was still wondering about something

“What happened this morning,” asked Mark hesitantly as he looked over at Renjun, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

“Ah. I figured you would ask about that. That would be Haechan,” sighed Renjun as he grimaced slightly.

“Oh, you saw already, huh,” asked Chenle with the same grimace has his brother. Mark simply nodded but gave a quizzical look between the three of them.

“Who is Haechan? And why did he hurt that kid,” asked Mark as he took a sip of his water.

“Haechan is a rich boy with problems. He will pick on anyone just to not be bored. That kid has accidently nudged Haechan in the hallways because it was crowded. So Haechan poured his smoothie on the kid and beat his face into the locker. Poor kid. He was really shaken up when I took him to the nurse. He will be out of school for a week. Haechan is being suspended for a day or two. He won’t mess with you as long as you stay out of his way. He is in our grade, so you may have classes with him. Just stay away from him. And his friends Jeno and Jaemin. Those three are always together and are a disaster waiting to happen,” explained Renjun with a serious expression. Mark nodded and kept his head down. Guess bullies exist everywhere, thought Mark.

The bell rang and signaled for them to go back to class. The rest of his first day was uneventful. He could tell he was going to love literature class, but his favorite was going to be chemistry. The teacher was dynamic when she taught, keeping his attention easily. After the last bell rang, Mark left with a wave to Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung. Mark’s grandmother picked him up at the gate with an eager look.

“How was your first day? Anything exciting,” asked his grandmother as soon as he opened the door.

“Yeah, I have made some friends.”

“Good! Maybe they can come over for dinner one day? I would love to meet them,” offered his grandmother with a giant grin. The car pulled away from the curb and headed towards home.

“Ya, ok. I will ask them soon,” said Mark as he scooted into his seat, taking out his earphones to listen to music on the way home. The trees passed in a blur of turning orange, red, and yellow. Korea was not Canada.


	2. Ride of a Lifetime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark meets the bad side of Haechan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These first few chapters are to set the background for the rest of the story. So they are just a little bit drier. I promise good stuff is coming!

Since his first day, school has been relatively easy for Mark. Even though things were taught differently in Canada, he still understood and could follow what his Korean teachers were saying for the most part. If he did not know a word, he would ask Renjun or Chenle about it later. Chenle was also in some of his class. He was a sometimes goofy, sometimes strict. Mark liked him. The three all had literature together, which was nice since it was right before lunch on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

On this particular Wednesday, the three boys walked together towards the cafeteria. Mark opened the door and followed in behind his friends. He was walking towards their usual table with his food when suddenly, he tripped over something, falling forward and he clutched his food. He fell to the ground, landing hard on his face and across something large and hard. Or more like someone. The scary brunette boy from his first day lied under him, covered in his lunch, milk dripping down his baby blue shirt. Haechan.

Mark scrambled to get up, trying to help the other up. He frantically grabbed some nearby napkins.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry! Here let me help you clean up,” apologized Mark as he dabbed the napkins on the boy’s shirt to help dry the milk staining the article. Haechan glared at the other before grabbing him by the shoulders, halting Mark’s movements.

“You fucking idiot. Can’t you see where you’re going? You absolutely worthless piece of trash,” spat Haechan as the threw the boy to the ground. Squatting over Mark, who fixed his skewed glasses on his face with a shaky hand before looking at the other, Haechan stared at the boy.

“I am going to make your life hell. You will wish you were dead,” threatened Haechan before kicking the boy in the leg, hard enough to bruise. Mark flinched and folded in on himself. Haechan scoffed and left, two other boys following behind him as they whispered something to him. Mark guessed they were Jaemin and Jeno. 

As Mark tried to get up, Renjun was suddenly there, reaching out the help him up.

“You really did it now,” sighed Renjun mournfully as Chenle and Jisung joined them.

“I didn’t mean to! I tripped on something, and he happened to be there! God, I am going to have to avoid him as much as possible,” groaned Mark as he limped over to their table. He was definitely expecting a bruise there.

“Good luck with that. He is in six out of eight of your classes. Which you wouldn’t know because he never attends,” replied Renjun as he passed a new lunch to Mark. Mark groaned and laid his head on the table.

“I am doomed. Dead meat. Road kill,” mumbled Mark as he shut his eyes. He could feel a headache coming.

“First, ew, gross. Second, no you’re not. As long as you are not alone with him, you are good. So, the three of us will just try to be around so he is not tempted to cause trouble. Alright,” asked Renjun as he looked at the others. The three of them nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, guys. I appreciate it,” spoke Mark softly as he raised his head to look at them.

“Of course. That’s what friends are for,” stated Chenle as he continued to eat. Feeling less anxious, Mark finally started eating, his nerves eased for now. Right. He just needed to avoid Haechan at all cost.

Besides having to watch his back at school, things were good. He spent time with his friends, studying and playing video games. They would get together on the weekends some time. Mark asked if they wanted to come to dinner with his family once, and they all agreed to do that next Friday. Mark’s grandmother was thrilled to meet them. Mark was settling into his new life and slowly learning Korean.

To help his dad with getting money for their own place, Mark offered to get a job. Everyone insisted he didn’t need to, but Mark really wanted to help his dad. His dad had given so much to help Mark. Plus, he did not want to be a burden on his grandparent either. Mark search around and finally found a job.

It was at the local pizza place. He was going to be a server and sometimes cashier. Mark was thrilled. He had worked at a pizza place in Canada over the summer and absolutely loved it. He hoped it would be like a little piece of home for him.

His family was surprised by encouraged him no less. However, they asked him to quit if it got to be too much. Mark insisted it was fine since he would only be working four days a week, the weekends as well as Tuesday and Thursday evenings after school. His dad had sighed heavily and nodded, thanking him for being an amazing son. Mark just shrugged it off.

Mark enjoyed his shifts at the pizza shop. He would walk over after school or his grandmother would drop him off if she could. He had become friends with the other boy who worked there, Johnny. Johnny was from Chicago and would sometimes talk to Mark in English. Mark was immensely grateful to talk to someone in a language he knew well. Johnny would tell him stories about Chicago, especially their pizza. Mark made a note to try it one day because the way Johnny described it made it sound like the most amazing thing on the planet. Then again, Johnny could sell Mark a tire to eat with the way he described things, and Mark would happily buy it.

One evening, Mark finished his shift before going home. He waved goodbye to Johnny, saying he would see him this weekend. He left the shop with a smile on his face as it was good day for tips. His grandmother pulled up as he was leaving. He hopped in and greeted her.

“Thank you for picking me up. Dad is busy,” thanked Mark as he settled in his seat.

“Of course! I am more than happy to do so. I think it is very sweet of you to help your father. He has been going to some interviews, but no luck so far. I am sure it will get worked out soon,” sighed his grandmother as they made their way home. As the music played in the background, Mark could only agree.

Balancing both school and work was challenging. He had to do his homework on his breaks or at home afterwards. Renjun and Chenle were helping explain things to him when he could. He sometimes had to stay up late to finish assignments. However, it was worth it to help his dad.

One particular day, Mark was extremely tired. He has only gotten two hours of sleep before he had to get up for school. He had a big project due in one of his classes. It took him most of the night to figure it all out. Not knowing Korean fluently really made things more difficult, as he had to translate parts of what the questions said before he could actually answer them. 

From the lack of sleep, Mark felt like a zombie. He was on his way to lunch when suddenly, his face met the ground. It reminded him all too much of that one day. Mark groaned and tried to get up, only to feel a foot push between his shoulders, shoving him down to the ground. Held down by the weight above him, Mark groaned loudly and laid on the floor.

“I see your bodyguards are missing. It is a shame they won’t see this,” chuckled Haechan as he picked Mark up by waist, bringing him over to the trashcan, and dumping him in head first. 

“Trash like you belongs in the trash can,” laughed Haechan loudly before pushing the trash can down the hall. Everyone stood around in shock, parting as the trash can skidded by with Mark dangling out of it. Mark and the trash can fell to the ground, rolling around slightly before stopping against some lockers. Mark felt like passing out, from the ride or embarrassment he did not know. Thankfully, Renjun and Chenle came across the scene, a teacher briskly following behind them. Before Haechan could continue to torment the boy, he was escorted to the principal’s office by the teacher, while Renjun and the others helped Mark out of the trash can. As the show had ended, the hallways began to empty as everyone went to lunch.

“I told you to wait for us,” reprimanded Renjun with a worried voice as he helped clean Mark of the ketchup sticking in his hair.

“I didn’t think he would actually do something after three weeks of nothing,” sighed Mark as he crawled to his feet. The boys went to the nearest bathroom to clean Mark up. 

“You are lucky to only get thrown in the trash,” stated Chenle as he gave Mark his extra shirt. Mark’s shirt was covered in someone’s morning smoothie. Mark thanked him and went to a stall to change.

“I know. Thanks for helping me, guys,” said Mark as he exited the stall. 

“Just wait for us next time. Ok,” asked Renjun with a worried look. Mark easily agreed with a nod and thanks.

They quickly finished their lunch in the hallway before going to class. Thankfully, the rest of the week was silent of Haechan. Mostly because he spent three days of it sitting in the office, away from everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave kudos and/or comment if you liked the story so far! Thanks!


	3. Bad Luck, Hearts Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And drama ensues

For the past couple days, Mark has tried to keep a low profile. He avoided Haechan and his minions at every possible moment. He was getting good at ducking into hiding places when he heard or saw the trio. Mostly, he just made sure he had someone with him. If he has someone, he could blend in and hide in the crowd. After all, Haechan couldn’t bother him if he was hiding behind someone or something.

The warning bell rang, signaling they had two minutes to get to class. Mark entered literature with the others and took his seat next to Renjun and Chenle. He took out his notebook and opened his notes to where they had left off discussing literary elements in poetry. Mark read through his notes as the teacher began class.

“Alright, everyone, listen up! As we come to a close on this unit in poetry, I want you to start working on your final projects. I will randomly assign you into partners. You will together choose either a specific poet, writing style, or theme to discuss. Towards the end of the semester, you will be presenting your findings and reciting an example poem for your topic. In order for this to be completely random, you will pick a piece of paper out of this jar and the matching paper will be your partner,” instructed Mrs. Kwon as she walked around the room. 

Mark pulled his paper and opened it. Hearts. He looked hopefully at Renjun and Chenle to see what they got. Renjun was paired with Jaehyun by a clover while Chenle was paired with Doyoung by a fish. Sad that he wasn’t paired with them, Mark looked around and asked others what they had. No one around him had hearts.

“Are you also a heart? Haha, this is going to be so fun,” came an all too familiar voice behind Mark. Scared to death, the boy slowly turned around to face Haechan, who smiled at him with mischief in his eyes. Mark had wide eyes, his face pale, his hands clammy. He was doomed. Road kill. Dead meat. No one could save him from his horrible luck. Except maybe the bell ringing, signaling the end of class.

“Here is my address. Come to my house after school. We will work on it there. Don’t be late,” instructed Haechan as he wrote his address and gave it to the other boy before leaving. Mark froze with the paper in his hand.

“You’re dead,” whispered Chenle as they watched the scene.

“Chenle,” chastised Renjun with a worried look to Mark.

“No, he is right. I am dead. It was nice knowing you both. You can have my video games,” claimed Mark as he packed his things and headed towards lunch, dread filling his stomach. The others followed him, thinking of ways to help the other boy.

“You could not go,” offered Chenle with an optimistic smile.

“And be murdered the next day? No thanks,” groaned Mark as he sat with his friends.

“You could ask to switch,” supplied Renjun as he set his lunch on the table.

“I doubt she would allow it. Afterall, someone has to work with him. It is just a shame it is me,” spoke Mark as he looked at his lunch. He was not hungry.

“Ok, so, we hit this head on. Go to his house today. If anything bad happens, call us or someone to come get you. Ok,” asked Renjun as he tried to give an encouraging smile.

“Ok. I will,” accepted Mark as he picked at his lunch. He dreaded the trip to Haechan’s house.

As instructed, Mark stood in front of a large house after school. His grandmother had dropped him off with a “go make a new friend!” Oh, if only she knew she would be picking up a dead body in two hours, thought Mark as he smiled and waved as she drove away.

After a dreaded sigh, Mark made his way up and pressed the doorbell. Mark heard it chime through the house. Just how big was this house? A lady wearing a maid’s uniform answered the door.

“Can I help you, Sir?”

“Hi, yes, I am here to work on a school project with Haechan.”

“Ah, Mr. Lee is in his room. Follow me,” spoke the woman as she let Mark in. Mark nodded and said thanks as he took off his shoes and slipped on the guest slippers. 

Mark briefly looked around. This house was very big. Everything glistened in golden shades and marble. Haechan was in deed a rich boy, the problems were obviously there. 

The woman has beckoned Mark along, breaking him from staring at everything. They walked up the stairs and down a few hallways until she stopped in front of a door, knocking and announcing “Mr. Lee” had a visitor. After a few seconds, Haechan opened the door and sent the maid away. 

“So, you will be doing the work, and I will supervise,” declared Haechan as he let Mark in. The room was quite large, with a large wooden desk, king sized bed, and lounging area with a couple couches. As he passed by, Mark peeked in the bathroom and saw a glass shower with gray marble tile. Everything looked expensive, just like down stairs. However, it still felt comfortable, not stuffy and strict, with the candles and the photos hanging on the walls.

“Hello? Earth to trash,” called Haechan, making Mark snap back to attention.

“My name is Mark. Not Trash,” replied Mark with a huff as he went to the desk, plopping down in the comfortable office chair. He retrieved his notes and laptop, setting everything on the table to get ready to work.

“Ok, Mark. I am Haechan, but I figured you already knew that. Now, get to work. Let me know when you have figured out a topic and what we are doing for the project,” instructed the tan boy as he went to sit and play video games in the lounge area across from the desk. Mark huffed again before getting to work, looking at the handout the teacher had given them for the project. 

Mark decided they would do a theme, as that was the simplest. Love was the most common theme in poetry, so he started looking into famous love poems, saving a few for consideration later. Haechan continued to play video games while Mark worked, ignoring the other man completely. The Canadian was lost in his own world, scanning through pages of poems, trying to find a connection to them for the project.

“Have you finished,” asked a soft voice very close to Mark. The brunette jumped from being startled before looking at the boy staring at him. Mark pushed his glasses back up his nose. 

“Yes. We will do the theme love, since that is the easiest. I have already found some poems we can use.”

“How cliché. But easy. Good work, Mork,” praised the younger with a smirk. Mark looked up at the other boy. Mark could see chocolate yes framed by eyelashes that caress tan cheeks spotted with moles. Mark thought they looked like constellations he would stare at with his friends back home. Mark felt his breath catch in is throat, inhaling the soft vanilla scent of the younger. Had he always been so…pretty?

Suddenly, the spell was broken by the other who huffed, standing up and walking away. Noticing the boy was still sitting there, Haechan frowned before motioning towards the door.

“You may leave now, Fork.”

“My name is MARK,” replied the boy loudly with an annoyed huff as he stomped out, red painting his cheeks. Surprised by the outburst, Haechan laughed as he watched the boy slam the door shut behind him. This boy was going to be fun to play with.

When Mark saw his friends the following day, they asked how it went at Haechan’s house.

“You are still alive, so that is a good sign,” joked Jisung as they walked down the hall to their classes.

“He is so rude! He wants me to do the project by myself. He is just there to watch and make sure I actually do it,” huffed Mark as he pushed his glasses back up his nose, highly irritated at the tan boy.

“Well, it is better than being dead meat, I guess. Now, he has to keep you alive to finish the project,” offered Renjun with a small smile. Mark sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, that is true. But now I have to go to his house twice a week to work on this project. I don’t know why we can’t just work on it here. The library is open. But no, he wants to play video games, while I work on finishing the project. Such an arrogant ass,” complained Mark as Jisung waved goodbye to go to his class.

“That sucks. You have to work today, right,” asked Chenle as they stopped in front of the classrooms.

“Yeah, and I have a paper due tomorrow that I need to finish. So, I will be up late again.”

“Maybe we can do something this weekend after your done with work,” offered Chenle with a kind smile.

“Sounds great. I need a break,” laughed Mark as he nodded. Chenle nodded and waved goodbye as he went to his classroom down the hall. Renjun and Mark went to theirs, sitting in their usual seats near the front.

After school, Mark’s grandmother dropped him off at work. It was an unusually busy day. People were coming in and out constantly. Pizzas were coming and going nonstop. Mark was making good money, but he was absolutely exhausted. After 8 PM, the rush slowed down a lot. Picking up a rag, Mark began cleaning up the disaster left behind. As he was cleaning some tables off, he heard the bell ring and turned to greet the new customer.

“Welcome! What can I get for-.” 

Mark stopped once he saw who it was, the rag following from his hand to the table. It was one of the boys that follows Haechan. If he remembered correctly, Renjun called this one Jeno.

“Oh hey, Mark. Didn’t know you worked here,” stated Jeno with a smile as he walked up to the counter.

“Oh, uh, yes, I do. What can I get for you,” asked Mark as tried to not show how scared he was, even though he was sweating buckets.

“Relax, I am not going to bother you. That’s all Haechan,” commented Jeno as he looked at the menu. He must be used to this or Mark is just that obvious. Maybe both. Probably both.

“Ah ok. Thank you?”

“Give me three slices of peperoni,” said Jeno. Nodding, Mark got the pizza , packing it in a box, and rang it up. Jeno paid and then took his pizza to go.

“See you at school,” said Jeno as he walked away. Mark nodded and went back to cleaning, letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Hey, Mark,” called Jeno as he was about to leave, hand on the door. Said boy looked at him with a confused look.

“Haechan has some issues, as you may have guessed. But he is honestly not the worst person in the world. He’s actually really kind, even if he doesn’t show it. I hope you realize that one day,” told Jeno with a smile and a wave before leaving.

Mark stood there clutching a rag. His mind went over what just happened. What did just happen? Jeno was nice? Haechan is not that bad? What?

Mark was very confused. Shaking his head, he finished cleaning up, told Johnny goodbye, and waited for his grandmother to pick him up. That night, Mark went home and finished his work, managing to catch a few hours of sleep. When he woke up, he remembered strange dreams.

Of sunflowers and constellations and a melodious laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think so far! Please leave kudos and/or comments if you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please comment and give kudos. The more love this story gets, the more likely I will keep up with it and post. Thanks again!


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